Amaya Schaffeld and Coupeville opened a three-game homestand with a narrow loss. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
It was there, then it was gone.
Missing two of its top three scorers Tuesday, the Coupeville High School girls soccer team played visiting Friday Harbor virtually even.
But a late goal, coming off of a deflected shot, was a killer as the Wolves fell 2-1 in a game with major playoff implications.
The loss drops Coupeville to 2-4 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-5 overall, leaving them two games back of Friday Harbor (4-2, 4-6-1), and well behind league leader Mount Vernon Christian (5-0, 9-1-1).
La Conner (0-5, 0-5), which the Wolves host Thursday, is alone in the cellar.
With only two of four NWL teams making it to the postseason, CHS desperately needed to avenge an earlier loss to Friday Harbor, and almost did.
With Audrianna Shaw and Sophie Martin sidelined, Coupeville was missing players who had accounted for seven of the team’s 12 goals this season.
The Wolves still had one rampaging ace controlling the middle of the field, however, as senior Eryn Wood erupted for her third goal of the season, and sixth over the past three seasons.
Taking a ball from freshman teammate Ayden Wyman, the well-seasoned Wood opened a can of whup-ass on Friday Harbor, drilling a shot from 20-30 yards out.
Leaving her foot with a crack which reverberated across Mickey Clark Field, the ball went high and hard and never stopped moving until it cleared the jumping goalie, slamming into the top of the net.
Coming 12 minutes into the second half, Wood’s score knotted the game at 1-1 and brought the CHS boys soccer team to its feet, their cheers raining down on their female counterpart.
Coupeville, which got solid work in goal from the tandem of Lily Leedy and Maylin Steele, held fast, only to see a slick, but somewhat lucky score break the tie.
The ball deflected off at least two people, ricocheting into the side pocket of the net, with the Wolf netminder blocked off from seeing where the shot was ultimately coming from.
That left the Wolves with a frantic 17 minutes left on the clock to force another tie, and they came hard, but literally fell about three inches too short.
CHS defensive whiz kid Nezi Keiper crashed a long kick into a thicket of players, and Wood punched the incoming ball with a deft flick of her foot.
But it wasn’t to be, as the Friday Harbor netminder made a sensational save while flat on the ground, somehow stopping the roll of the ball right as it teetered over the edge of breaking the goal-line.
Nezi Keiper was a beast on defense, as usual.
Coupeville, which gave up the game’s first score in the 17th minute of the first half, stayed in lock-down mode in the waning moments.
Keiper, Carolyn Lhamon, Mary Milnes, and Katelin McCormick bounced folks around, while Noelle Daigneault lowered her shoulder and drilled a wayward Wolverine or two.
But, on a night that was damp, a bit windy, and fairly chilly, there was no miracle at the end to save the Wolves. Just a hard-fought and tough loss.
Coupeville will try and carry forward the same effort as it plays its final two home games of the season.
La Conner comes to Whidbey Thursday, before Sultan visits Saturday for a non-conference tilt on Senior Night.
The Wolves will honor Milnes, Wood, McCormick, Leedy, Shaw, Martin, and Daigneault, before finishing the season with a pair of road contests.
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